Screening process for fresh ration cards a daunting task

Hyderabad:Following lakhs of applications for fresh ration cards landing at the government offices through the ‘Praja Palana’ special drive during the months of December and January, it has become a tough task for the authorities to undertake the screening process of these many applications.

According to official sources, with close to 20 lakh applications received for fresh ration cards, the process of scrutiny has gained momentum despite the challenges. The officials at ground level began verifying the eligibility and undertaking scrutiny by personally visiting the households that had applied and ensuring that the antecedents were substantiated. Under the GHMC limits, over five lakh applications have been submitted, whose details are being verified by the corporation’s officials on the ground. While in districts, the other responsibility of verifying and identifying the eligible has been handed over to outsourcing employees. Those who are eligible will be entitled to six guarantees, including the provision of a Rs 500 gas cylinder, free electricity for up to 200 units, free travel for women in RTC buses, increased health coverage through Aarogyasri of up to Rs 10 lakh, and housing for poor families.

Presently, the State has 90 lakh households that have ration cards, and the new government had expected, through the ‘Praja Palana’ drive, to get about 10 lakh applications. However, there was an overwhelming response, and those seeking the ration cards almost doubled, pushing the authorities to tighten the screening process. With the number of aspiring families increasing manifold, the process is likely to get further delayed owing to various technical difficulties. It is believed that the issuing of ration cards, owing to various other factors, will stretch by several months.